A Russian court on Friday sentenced a top opposition figure to a years-long prison term, the latest move in the Kremlin's multipronged crackdown on opposition activists, independent media and rights groups.
Andrei Pivovarov, former head of the Open Russia group, was sentenced to four years in prison by a court in the southern city of Krasnodar. Pivovarov was charged with “directing an undesirable organization,” a criminal offense under a 2015 law. He has maintained his innocence and has insisted that the charges against him were brought because of his plans to run for parliament in September 2021.
